Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to the field of high frequency attenuators, and also to the field of high frequency attenuators with variable attenuation for device testing.
Description of the Related Art
In certain applications, it may be desirable to provide an attenuator capable of attenuating high frequency signals, for example having a frequency higher than 120 GHz, and up to 175 GHz or more.
For example, in the field of high frequency device characterization, a device under test may be driven with a high frequency input signal, and one or more output signals of the device under test are detected using a probe in order to determine characteristics of the device. In order to be able to accurately detect an output signal over a relatively broad voltage range, one or more attenuators are for example provided for reducing the voltage level of the output signal.
There is however a difficulty in providing an attenuator capable of providing a relatively low level of attenuation, for example as low as −6 dB.
Furthermore, there is a difficulty in providing an attenuator having a variable attenuation and/or that can operate over a relatively broad bandwidth, for example of 20 GHz or more.